Home Is A Fire
by graceless angels
Summary: They were Lily and James, ice and fire, deer and lion, but somehow in the mess, they found each other. They found each other after six and a half years of arguing, and they never let go.
1. Head Girls and Boys

_A/N- Wow. Okay, I haven't written HP stories in a long time. Hopefully you guys like this. :-) _

_Disclaimer: Rights go to J.K. Rowling, I own but one character. _

**Warning: This story is rated M for language and other reasons, later on. Read at your own risk, mate.**

Chapter One:

Head Girls and Boys

_Dreadful Summers_

Late in the summer of 1977, Lily Evans approached King's Cross Station. All she had to do was cross over Platform 9 ¾ and she would meet the Hogwarts Express, a big, fiery red train that would lead her straight to her school—her school of magic.

This school had caused problems, sure. It created a row between her and her sister, Petunia, who was absolutely sure Lily was a _'freak' _and that the school was for psychos. It caused a hell of a lot of screaming when her friends decided to drop by for Christmas. In conclusion, the school did create problems. But it was home.

It was a home to Lily for almost six years—going onto seven. She had made so many incredible friends, she had learned so much, it was just _home. _

So when her parents gave her a kiss on the forehead and told her to cross the barrier between the two worlds, she smiled and waved goodbye.

She got onto the train and found a compartment somewhere in the middle. And then she waited for her friends to come.

She thought about her summer; her dreadful, dreadful summer. Petunia had brought home her boyfriend, a heavy man named Vernon Dursley who then went to their father and asked for Petunia's hand in marriage. When father said yes, he turned to Petunia and handed her a ring with _at least _a six carat diamond, and then Petunia shrieked and said 'yes' about a thousand times.

That wasn't even the dreadful part Petunia sought out every opportunity to make Lily seem like some sort of an idiot. Constantly spelling out words when talking to her and muttering things behind her back. The worst had to be when she told Vernon that Lily went to _St. Clemmon's House of Betterness, _which was a school for young, female delinquents and where they took you in for seven years. When her mother found out about that, she almost fainted. Her dad had to explain that she didn't go to St. Clemmon's, and went to a boarding school somewhere far.

And even worse than that, Vernon actually seemed to _like _Lily. They would talk about gardening and such, until Petunia told Vernon she was a freak that would one day kill him. They stopped talking.

So yes, it had been a dreadful summer.

_The Hogwarts Express_

Lily had a small group of close friends. She had Alice Priors, her best friend. Alice was a short girl with short brown curls and hazel eyes. She was smart and sensible, and had a steady boyfriend by the name of Frank Longbottom. She and Frank had been dating since about fourth year, and Lily suspected that by the end of this year, they would be engaged.

Alice wasn't like her other friend, Marlene Withers, at all. Marlene had long, straight blonde hair, and sharp blue eyes. Marlene was the _fun and flirty _girl, with a long list of boyfriends. But no reputation. Sure, she had shagged boys before, but she wasn't like other girls and made notice of it. Marlene had no current boyfriend, but she sure would get one.

And then there was the last girl in their little group; Jemma North. Jemma was different from the others in more than just looks. With deep chestnut colored hair, army green eyes, and a passion for quidditch, she easily differed from the others. But they were all friends. Best friends, really.

And these friends piled into her compartment, slumping themselves next to one another.

Marlene turned to Lily and sighed. "Big news," she said, though she sounded thoroughly annoyed.

"What happened?" Lily asked.

"Lana Jenkins is a whore."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Really? I didn't know _Hufflepuffs _could be whores."

"Yeah, well, Lana Jenkins is a fucking _Slytherin _in the body of a Hufflepuff, okay!?" Marlene yelled.

"Yeah, that's how she became so appealing to David Edgecombe," Jemma said, "because of her Slytherin nature and not puberty."

"Oh, you'll get over it. You didn't even like him," Alice said.  
"Yeah," Jemma continued. "You said you liked him because of his—and I quote—_sex drive." _

"Well you can't just think of how good someone is at quidditch before you date them!" Marlene said, glaring at Jemma. "Or how smart they are," she said, now glaring at Alice. "You have to think of personality, and emotional health, _and _sex drive."

"_Honestly," _Lily said, exasperated. "You lot are seventeen, and you're talking about _sex drives?" _

"Well _so-rry_ that we're not virginal flowers like you," Marlene replied.

Lily rolled her eyes and went back to her book, _Hogwarts, A History, _which she had probably read eight hundred times, but it felt wrong not to.

After that, there was a short silence, which broke when Marlene interrupted with _"You think Charlie Wood is cute?" _

Alice raised her eyebrows and added, "I think he's already dating someone."

"Who? _I _for one think he's _very _cute."

"The Ravenclaw seeker or the Hufflepuff?" Jemma asked, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"That's Charlie Hood, Jem. The Ravenclaw seeker, of course!" Marlene laughed.

"Oh yeah. Right. Sure."

"Who's he dating, Alice? Who's stopping me from climbing Charlie Wood like a—" Lily cut off Marlene.

"Please don't finish that sentence!" Lily said in a panic.

"Oh calm down, _Mary," _Marlene replied.

"I'm not sure _exactly _who it was, but Jenna Martin—you know, who's dating Christopher Macmillan—said that she asked Charlie out and he said he already was dating someone."

"Why didn't she say who?"  
"Maybe because he didn't tell her," Jemma said. "Some people are private, you know?"

"So private that they can't even tell someone who their girlfriend is? Sounds fishy to me..."

"Pfft," Jemma shot back. "Everything sounds fishy to you. Last week you thought Lila Barks was cheating on her boyfriend because she kept disappearing at night."

"That was reasonable!"

_"She was taking extra lessons." _

_"_It was a reasonable assumption!" Marlene said again, defending her case.

"Yes! It was an _assumption_! That you foolishly acted on without concrete evidence!" Alice said.

"Guys! Stop fighting over a stupid thing that's _already over!" _Lily said, annoyed and angry. "Who even cares?"

"Well, because of Marlene's stupid assumptions, Lila's boyfriend broke up with her!" Alice said.

"Well who gives a rat's arse about Lila _Sodding_ Barker, anyways?"

"Bug off! What do you know anyway?" Alice said, in a tight voice.

"More than you!" Marlene's tone was extremely alarming.

"Oi, calm down!" Lily yelled. They eventually became silent, when Marlene chipped in again, "Are you sure Charlie Wood isn't dating Zoë Clearwater? Her brother's on the team with him."

"No, I'm pretty sure he's not dating _Zoë Clearwater, _who's been dating Augustus McLaggen," Jemma replied, still seeming annoyed.

"Well then…"

_Seventh Years _

"Honestly, Lily, don't be so worried about Head Girl. Sure, it's an honor and all, but you don't need know everything about Hogwarts to be good in the position," Alice said as they walked into Hogwarts after getting off the carriages.

"But I do, Alice. How am I supposed to be a good Head Girl if I don't even know anything about Hogwarts?" Lily replied.

"You've been here for seven-sodding-years! I'm pretty sure you know the basics! Besides, do you think some first-year is gonna ask you what Hogwarts perimeter is? I reckon they won't!"

"You never know! Kids get more intuitive every year!"

"Oi!" Jemma piped up from behind them. "Mind keeping your traps shut for one minute? Seems like they're doing a roll call."

And they were. Professor Flitwick was standing in front of the building, calling names.

"Miles Dylan Smith? Yes enter, go ahead. Marlene Helena Withers? Yes, right through there. Lily Marie Evans?"

"I'm right here," Lily said.  
"Yes, of course, dear, go on. Eh, Alice Christine Priors? Yes, continue on. Jemma Elizabeth North? Go on, go on."

"What's all that about?" Alice asked as she caught up to Lily and the others.

"Probably because of all that _Voldemort _nonsense," Marlene said. "Apparently he's some dark wizard who plans to kill all muggle borns. Load of crap, I say."

"I think we should at least be on alert," Jemma added. "It said in the Daily Prophet they already murdered a bunch of muggles using the Killing Curse. And they tried the Cruciatus Curse on apparent 'blood traitors.'"

"You think one man and his people can overtake the entire wizarding community?" Lily asked. She wasn't being sarcastic or funny, she wanted to know the literal answer.

Could one man and his followers take over her world? Her world of magic that had caused trouble in her life, but the same world of magic she would never, _ever _give up?

"I think anyone can do anything, if they believe it's right," Jemma said.

"Wow, Jem, that's poetic. You should get that published. Meanwhile, we need to enter Hogwarts? Remember, that safest place on earth bit?" Marlene said, walking ahead of them and into the castle.

They entered the building and Lily looked up at the bright candles. She was most definitely home.

She sat down at the Gryffindor table, and in the few minutes she had before the Sorting started, she looked around. There were people everywhere. She saw Darcy Matthews, a Hufflepuff girl that she got paired with in Herbology once before, snogging Kyle Fenwick. She saw the Charlie Wood that Marlene liked and decided he _was _kinda cute.

And then the Sorting started. First, the Sorting Hat sang some song:

_Many years ago,_

_I was but a _

_lonely hat. _

_With no wit_

_or wisdom, _

_no bravery _

_or loyalty, _

_and certainly_

_no ambition! _

_And then called _

_upon, I was,_

_to serve people_

_who were right and just._

_There was Godric Gryffindor,_

_the strong and the brave._

_Oh there was Helga Hufflepuff,_

_whose loyalty shall _

_never fade. _

_There was Rowena Ravenclaw,_

_whose wit and mind_

_was quite a game!_

_And lastly I was _

_called upon, by the _

_cunning and shrew_

_Salazar Slytherin,_

_who gave me _

_quite a screw!_

_And these were them;_

_the people who gave me _

_such a power. _

_And now today,_

_in front of all,_

_I'll display it _

_without a bit of cower!_

The entire Great Hall burst into applause, and then Professor McGonagall started calling out names.

"_Abel, Nina!" _became a Hufflepuff, and _"Zakes, Ryan!" _became a Ravenclaw.

After the Sorting, the Feast began, and the only noise was of chattering and clanging and chewing.

"Lily, did you ever find out who Head Boy was?" Alice asked while they ate.

"No, I don't think so. Why? Do you know?"

"Well, I'm not sure how stupid you two are, but I reckon it's—um—the boy wearing the Head Boy badge?" Marlene said.

"I'm not _stupid _Mar," Lily snapped back, "I've been looking for the Head Boy badge since the train!"

"Well Lils," Jemma said. "Look no further. It's James."

_Stupidity Is Inaccurate_

"What?!" Lily yelled. Quite a few heads turned their way, but Lily payed no attention to them. "Him?!" she said again, but much quieter. "James Sodding Potter? As in the _idiot?" _

"Well—there's really only one of them, so…" Jemma said.

"I don't care! How? When—it's unfair! He wasn't even a prefect!"

"Why are you so mad?" Alice asked in a toneless voice. "If Dumbledore think's he's good enough for the job he probably is!"

"What does Dumbledore know? He's like a million years old! His reasoning is probably all screwed up!" Lily snapped.

"Oh yeah," Marlene said, "because the reasoning of a school's _headmaster _and possibly the wisest wizard ever is _screwed up." _

"You never know."

"In this case," Jemma intervened, "we kinda do. He's the headmaster of one of the best wizarding schools for a reason. And I don't understand what your big problem with James is anyways."

"You just like him because he plays on the quidditch team with you. And because you _sodding _slept with him in sixth year!"

"Yes, but I was drunk! Remember? After the quidditch match? When we got all those bottles of firewhiskey? _Remember?" _

She had a point, Lily decided.

"And speaking of the Devil," Marlene said, as she saw James walking towards them.

"We need to take the first years to the dorms," he said curtly to Lily.

"So you're really Head Boy? You, who wasn't even made prefect? _Really?" _Lily questioned him in an incredulous tone of voice.

"I can show you the badge. And the letter. But later. Now we need to take the first years to the dorms," he coolly replied.

"I don't believe you!"

"Well good for you," he said, walking away from them.

So yeah… I'm obsessed with Marauder fics now.

Anyways, excuse any errors! :-) I tend to make a lot O:

One review equals one snow day.

Love, Shea.


	2. Blue Hair

:-) Regular updates may be possible. Finally.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything ok.

Chapter Two:

Mishaps

_Blue Hair _

Lily didn't believe James for about two days after that. She finally went and asked Professor McGonagall, hoping that if James _was _in fact, lying, McGonagall wouldn't think Lily a crazy bat for suggesting something like that. But, unfortunately (as Lily put it) he was Head Boy. When she asked why and how, the Professor said she couldn't give the reasons.

And so Lily was forced to do all the Head responsibilities with James, and that angered her like nothing ever had before. She didn't really have an answer as to _why _she simply hated James Potter with all her mind and will. She just did. He was the prat that annoyed her since forever. And yet, despite her thoughts that James was _so _not worthy of the position he was given, she finally accepted it, after a month and a few spare days.

She didn't like him, of course. He was a prick. But she started to understand why Dumbledore chose him. He was nicer. Friendlier. Less using curses and more studying them. She didn't understand the change. Maybe he was finally understanding responsibility, she decided.

That was, until, the day of the great Blue Hair Mishap.

Lily was usually tired that morning. Her History of Magic essay was long done, but she had a sense she should re-read it, and then she discovered all the wrong years she had used. Lily figured she had just used the wrong book, or maybe Sirius switched them on purpose, but all she knew was she had to rewrite a three-foot essay the night before it was due.

She sat in the Common Room, originally, but it was the night of the first Quidditch game- Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor had won. The Common Room was a blur of people in gold-and-red uniforms with butterbeer and fire whiskey being passed around. The noise level was off the charts, as was the smell of alcohol. When she saw a girl and boy taking their kissing to the next level, she made a dash for it. She would have gone to the library, but it was already after the curfew, so she sat in the girl's dorms. And when she saw Marlene on Base Two with a Gryffindor chaser, she panicked and left.

She sat on the stairs of the Common Room, finishing her essay, and while she was rereading it, she must've fallen asleep. She awoke to a snickering and drunk Jemma guiding her to the Dorms.

And then she woke back up. She might've dropped her quill on the stairs, and so went she went back to get it, she peered into a mirror. All she expected was some ink on the side of her face. Maybe a paper tangled in her hair.

She did not expect blue hair.

"_AHHHH!" _Her scream echoed around the Girl's Dorm, and eventually the entire Common Room. Alice stood upright on her bed,

"Lily, it's four AM on a Monday, hones—" Alice stopped speaking. And then she started laughing.

"What's so funny on a Monday morning, huh?" Marlene snapped. The Gryffindor chaser was still wide asleep.

"Probably the fact that you slept with Daniel Bell," Jemma replied in her sleep. "And how did he get in here anyways?"

"I figured out the spell they used to keep them out." Marlene glared at her. "And you've slept with worse."

"Like who?"

"Like James!"

"He doesn't count! I was drunk!"

"Honey, it counts if the s-"

"Don't!" Alice said, holding back giggles. "Just look at Lily."

"Why?" Marlene asked, "What has our precious virgin done this t—_holy shit." _

Lily screamed again. A few people gathered outside the dorm room, and then James and his lot appeared. Sirius laughed so hard, he fell, and then James started as well. Remus gave her a sympathetic look and Peter just stood there.

"Okay, come on everyone, clear out!" Alice ordered people to leave, and mostly everyone did. A few people stayed to watch the reaction of Lily as she tried to enchant the blue hair away. James and Sirius were the last to clear away, and Lily had suspected it was the two of them the minute she saw the bright turquoise colored strands.

She wasn't only angry, she was something completely else.

The worst way to put it was that she felt betrayed.

_I Hated Transfiguration Anyways_

Two days, about a hundred stares, thirteen books, thirty spells, and one helpful hint later, the blue hair was gone. So when Lily walked into The Great Hall for breakfast on Thursday morning, she was not only relieved, but ignorant.

And ignorance isn't always bliss.

"And the blue hair is gone, I see?" Marlene proposed, buttering some toast for herself.

"This took so much effort, Marly, you don't even know," Lily said, grabbing a plate of fruit.

"She's right, you know," Alice added, "I had to stay awake with her for _days, _flipping through dusty spellbooks to find a cure. I'm pretty sure I have allergies now."

"At least you didn't have to walk around with blue-sodding-hair for a quarter of a week!"

"Not even," Jemma said. "Two days really isn't a quarter of a week."

"Yeah, well long story short, I hate whoever did this to me _forever." _She looked at Jemma. "That includes you. You knew about this when you woke me up to get into the dorm!"

Jemma scoffed. "I was drunk as hell. I'm pretty sure I didn't even notice!"

"Still!"

"Girls," Alice said in a careless way.

"If you don't hurry this conversation up, we're going to be late to Transfiguration!" Marlene said, grabbing her bag and stomping away.

"Come on," Alice added, and the three girls made their way to McGonagall's classroom.

Professor McGonagall was a timely lady, with graying hair and darkened eyes. She also wore long emerald-colored robes, and she never failed to yell at someone who was misbehaving. Every detention slip she gave out was personally signed by her with a specific punishment for that student. But she had never given out so many detentions to two boys in her entire career.

Pranks, jokes, some sort of contraption that makes a student disappear for several hours and then reappear in a broom cupboard, scaring the daylights out of a hormonal couple.

Neither had she ever had such disrespectful student.

Calling her 'Minnie' and making crude comments when assigned a detention, it was all the works. She hadn't ever thought she could meet anyone so plain rude, but Sirius Black and James Potter and his little band called the Marauders ruined that for her.

But they were excellent students. Top of the class, and bright with just the jokes bringing them down.

So when James Potter came into the class for an entire month without cracking a single joke or prank, and doing work all the time instead of hexing some Hufflepuff, she was beyond relieved.

She just hoped it stayed that way.

Lily walked to Transfiguration alone, Alice and Jemma and Marlene off their own separate ways. She was walking alone, alone without anyone to tell her that a group of Slytherins had been following her since the Great Hall.

"Hello, Mudblood," a cruel, crawling voice said. Lily spun around to have the entire lot of them surround her. The boy that had first said anything was a boy whose last name was Mulciber.

"What do you want?" Lily asked, trying to keep her voice strong. Her heart started to beat faster; these were the boys that had used Dark Magic on Mary McDonald, a muggleborn friend of hers.

"Well," one named Avery picked up, "you see, we have a dilemma. We found some new spells, you know, real _old_ ones, and, well, we obviously need a testing subject."

"Yeah?" Lily asked. Now was not the time to feel gutsy, but she knew these particular boys weren't kidding, and if she was to die at the hands of them, or at least be tortured mindlessly, she needed some retribution beforehand. "Then go try them on yourselves."

A few of them chucked_—_cold, sinister laughs that sent the hairs on Lily's neck flying up.

"Ooh, mudblood's got a tongue," another said, but she didn't see who.

"Not for much longer," yet another said. That sent all of them laughing wildly.

"Come on, Rosier, stun her, before someone else comes," a hushed voice spoke. That voice seemed familiar, and if she had been given another second she would've figured out who it was, but then_—_all of a sudden another voice screamed something, and spells were spoken, and ended up in a collapsed pile of nothing until she woke up in the infirmary.

There were murmuring voices, and many groans when Lily woke up on the firm bed of the infirmary. Professor Dumbledore was there, as well as McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick as well. Alice, Marlene, and Jemma stood at the foot of her bed, and there was someone else lying on a bed a few feet away from her.

She was very disoriented and could barely recognize her closest friends.

"Miss Evans," Professor Dumbledore started.

"I'm afraid not yet, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said, "she's still very fragile. I think you'll have to wait just another hour or so, enough time to let her rest and _then _you can interrogate her as much as you want."

Around this point, Lily slipped out of consciousness.

When she woke again, it was dark outside, for sure. There wasn't anyone left, and she assumed it was because Madam Pomfrey sent them all away. On the table next to her, there was a candle and some Bernie Bott's beans. Lily stood up on her bed, trying to see if anyone had brought her books or any of her work. There was nothing.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Lily asked, but their was no response. She tried getting up off the bed, but her legs wouldn't support her. She fell to the floor, and tried wobbling her way back up, unsuccessfully, that is. Lily grabbed the bedside table, and it shook with her grip, making the candle fall with a crash.

The other person in the infirmary awoke with a gasp. Lily didn't see who it was from the floor, but heard a boy call out, "Hello?"

Lily took a few deep breaths and steadied herself, finally getting up. She glanced at the boy, ready to say sorry, when she saw who it was.

"Of course, it's you!" Lily yelled. A pent up anger inside her started acting up again.

"What did I even do, huh? I asked if you were okay, but no, obviously it has double-meaning, doesn't it?" he questioned, sounding angry as well.

"I am saying nothing of the sort, I'm just—"

"You're just nothing! Why are you _so _terrified to actually think I care about you?!"

"That's not even what this is all about!"

"Well you might as well just admit it now! The fact that you still don't believe I am better than I was before!"

"Because I don't believe it! You—of all people—do not change! You're just lying!"

"Yes, because a month of being a better human is _lying. _Who am I lying for anyways, huh? Did you figure that out yet?"

He stormed out, and Lily stayed with a firm expression and a collection of tears at the bridge between her eyes.

"Are you _sure _you feel better?" Alice asked her, two days later. It was Friday now, and she had been admitted from the infirmary the night before. She suspected, however, that Madam Pomfrey had told Alice to keep an eye out for her.

"Yeah, Lils, if you don't feel good, I bet we can get McGonagall to let you skip her class today. Oh! And I could stay with you. I forgot to practice the other day's lesson anyways," Jemma said.

"I'm not letting you skip class because of me. Or because of you. Anyways, you're not skipping."

"Buzzkill."

Lily rolled her eyes and walked to Transfiguration with everyone.

"—And Dumbledore _still _hasn't questioned you? No asking what happened, who came in, all of that?" Marlene asked as they walked.

"No. I mean, the last thing I remember is waking up in the infirmary with Potter on the bed next to me. That's it."

"Don't you know why he was there, Lily?" Alice wasn't asking whether she _knew _or not, but rather as if Alice herself knew why.

"No. I just figured some stupid prank backfired."

Alice grabbed her shoulder to make her stop walking. Lily was worried.

"Lils, he _saved _you. Remember? You were walking to Transfiguration then too, and so he had that same class. When we couldn't find you, we told them and they said you went the faster way, and then James went that way and saw you with the Slytherins," Alice hushed her voice before continuing, "and then when they were about to Stun you, he interrupted. And then a bunch of them started shooting spells at him—and that was all Sirius told us. But we're pretty sure something bad could've happened if he didn't show up."

Lily kept that in mind all throughout the walk to McGonagall's classroom.

"Class," Professor McGonagall started, "I will be assigning partners for the next project." And then she began to list off the people. The Gryffindors shared this class with the Ravenclaws, and so Alice got paired with a Ravenclaw, while Marlene worked with Remus, and Jemma worked with another Ravenclaw that looked vaguely familiar.

And then Lily was assigned with James.

And then she screamed.

_Welp. That was quite a wait. I'm really sorry, guys! _

_Anyways, this is rushed and really bad and not as long or detailed as it should be. Not even read through again because I just freaking realized I have homework. Oh god. _

_Anyways, enjoy :-)_

_**Reviews are getting candy on Valentine's Day from your crush. :-) **_

_**Love, Shea**_


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